November 08, 2007

Naoko does a quick (and fun!) video presentation that inspired me to cook kale for the first time. Guess what? It was ridiculously easy and delicious! I ate the whole pan!

2nd time making it update- Brace yourself: My husband and my kids LOVED it!! A success for the whole family- hurray!

The most fun part about eating this is using chopsticks (or, as Nick calls them, “pinchers”). To make it easy for kids, attach the top end of the chopsticks with a rubber band to hold them together and put a little rolled up piece of paper just below the band to create a little space to pinch. Or just buy kid chopsticks.

· Preheat the oven to 400 degrees· Rip the kale off the stem (smaller pieces are easier for kids) and throw it in a big bowl of water· Swish the kale around in the water to wash it· Drain the kale in a colander· Line a cookie sheet (or two if you have a big bunch of kale) with Release Foil· Plop the kale pieces on the cookie sheet and use a paper towel to quickly blot up the excess water· Sprinkle the kale with a little Braggs or Soy Sauce and the Sesame Oil (a little of each of these goes a long way)· Put the sheet of kale in the oven for 5-6 minutes, take it out and dig in· Watch the time because it can burn pretty easily (experiment and see if you like some pieces to get crispy etc…)· Eat as a side dish or just as a snack

November 02, 2007

Do you ever feel like you need to be a purist to really be healthy? This is a trait I'm working on eliminating from my personality because....it just never works out. Not for any length of time. It just isn't sustainable.

So I am trying to impart some of that newly gained wisdom to my kids at an early age. And vegetables come up a lot.

Most moms know that kids love to dip. So, if it takes a dip to make those veggies more enticing (for the kids or the adults)...go for it!

Lately we're dipping carrots, cucumbers and red peppers in Annie's Cowgirl Ranch Dressing. You can get product and nutrition info at http://www.anniesnaturals.com/

Just be sure to look for the most natural ingredients you can and avoid things like high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, msg, and mystery ingredients you can't pronounce or don't understand.

A great way to make shopping for these kinds of things easier is to seek out brands (like Annie's and Amy's) which generally produce healthy, organic products (but still read those labels- just in case!).